Page 37 of Loki
“Thank fuck, you’re awake.”
At the relief in his voice a smile spread across my face, and joy coursed through my veins. “Joshua,” I mumbled, reaching out my bandaged hand towards him.
He was by my side in two long strides. When he reached the bed, his gentle touch brushed my forehead, sweeping my hair away from my face. As his fingertips grazed my cheek, tears trickled down my face, and he gently wiped them away.
“I’m so glad to see you,” I said, cupping his face. “It’s been too long. I’ve missed you so much.”
He not only helped me escape a fate worse than death, but he was also a constant presence in my life during my younger years. Not only was he my brother’s best friend, but he also protected me when we were kids. He was my first kiss, and he was my first love. But those feelings I could never act on because of his relationship with my brother. So not to lose either one of them, I pushed my feelings aside.
He kissed the palm of my hand despite the white gauze wrapped around it. “I’m so glad we could get you. You don’t know how much my heart hurt to find out you were caught up in this shit, Nikki.”
Panicked surged inside me. He got me out but was he able to save the other women?
“What about the other women? Lila?”
Sitting in the chair beside the bed, he cradled my bandaged hand in his, layering his other hand on top of mine.
“Calm down, Nikki. The other women are fine. Doc,” he motioned to the man checking my vitals, “checked them all out. Some are on their way home where they can get proper care. While others weren’t quite ready to leave yet, so we’ve set them up until they make the decision to stay or go.”
I let out a breath of relief. “And Lila? Please tell me you have her too?”
Another big smile crossed his face. “She’s here. We’ve had her since the day you helped her escape.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling from my eyes. I had been so worried something happened to her once we separated. It was such a relief to know she made it out. “Thank you, so much. I was so worried they got her again.”
“She told us how you helped her. Her sister was a friend of mine and when she went missing Monica came to me for help to find her.”
“So that’s how you found out about me?”
He shook his head. “You have some very good friends. Some very powerful friends who know Johnathan. They got in touch with me when they hadn’t heard from you.”
She laughed. “Let me guess. Cadence and Brian.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Prez, but I need to ask Ms. Honoré some questions. Can you give us some privacy?”
When he went to stand, I squeezed his hand the best I could. “Please stay.”
Surprise filled his eyes. I didn’t want him to leave me just yet. His presence brought a sense of calm to this fucked up situation. I had just found him again after so long, I wanted him near me.
“Are you sure?” the doctor asked. “I would like to ask you some very personal questions about what happened to you.”
Despite having some kind of idea the questions he wanted to ask, I still rather have Joshua by my side than face this mess alone again. He was someone safe for me. Someone who protected me when were kids and protected me now even though we hadn’t seen each other in years. It was like we hadn’t missed any time together. I needed him to hear what happenedbecause I didn’t want to have to repeat it when he asked. I might as well pull the band aid off and get it over with.
“I would like for him to stay,” I said to the doctor.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes betraying his worry. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Nikki. I’m sure Doc is going to ask you some hard shit.”
“I know you don’t want me to be uncomfortable. But I need a friend with me while I get through this,” I said without hesitation. “So, could you please stay? For me?”
He looked at the doctor, uncertainty clouding his eyes, but the doctor simply shrugged, like my decision for him to stay wasn’t really that big of a deal.
“It’s up to her, Prez. If she’s fine with it, who am I to argue?”
Joshua leaned back in the chair, cradled my hand again, creating a comforting and intimate connection between us. It felt absolutely amazing.
I took in a deep breath, preparing myself for the inevitable. This conversation was going to be brutal, but a very necessary one to have.
